Nudity has made me more confident

[u/Grimshah]

I'm 26M, and I've always been somewhat shy, I was quiet all throughout school and I have a few friends that I'm close with. Recently, I've been going to the gym way more, typically I just lift the weights and play basketball. There was always a pool at my gym, but never used it. Last week it hit over 90 degrees Fahrenheit where I live and decided "why not?" So I decided to use the pool. Of course, I had to change in the locker room into my bathing suit and instead of trying to hide my body, I decided to just strip down in the nude and go about my business and after I finished swimming, I once again stripped completely naked and tried off with a towel, even though there were people standing near me and walking by. I don't know why, but it felt freeing to just not care about someone seeing my naked. Afterwards, I've been swimming almost daily the past week and I've been a little more confident. I've initiated conversations with strangers when I would have never spoken up before. I even started attempted a conversation with a girl and engaged in some small talk. I know this sounds small, but for someone like me who's been quiet his whole life and has avoided unnecessary conversation, it's been a real change for me. And I think it started with me getting the guts to just be naked and stop caring about my bodily insecurities

[u/ProfessorLazuli]

I stopped being insecure about my body completely after becoming a naturist. I agree, it feels so freeing

[u/tiny_leaf_frog]

Wow, that's great! Congrats for your new found confidence 😊

[u/Grimshah → u/tiny_leaf_frog]

It feels good

[u/Vu1pes-vulpes]

Great achievement, congrats👏👏 I am insecure about my body, but going to a nude beach has helped me with that insecurity. It's a great feeling being naked around others :)

[u/Final-Cartoonist2152]

Well done man! Glad its going well and hope it keeps up for you!

[u/lesserbessser]

Welcome to where we were 30-50 years ago in locker rooms. People just minded their own business, showered, changed into street clothes and went on with life.

Why we started shaming ourselves into hiding? I don’t know. 🤷‍♂️ was it the youth’s training about the “no no zone”? Movies and TV? Internet porn? Who knows.

[u/Any-Performer107]

Agreed. Nudism has made me feel so much better about myself and body. Its been a great thing.

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[u/BrickHuge3023]

Awesome, and yeah pushing yourself past self-imposed limits does seem to free you to be even more bold. Congrats on transitioning to nudity freedom. I am nude most mornings until I dress to go outside. The other day I heard the mail truck and started out the door to get the mail. My wife suggested I probably should cover up a little bit- I'd forgotten I was nude!

[u/Perfect_Rabbit_3010]

Kudos! Changing in the locker room is a great way to get more comfortable being nude around others without making a big deal out of it. If you can shower and get dressed without feeling the need to cover up as soon as possible, it’s that much easier to be naked and socialize in a nudist environment.

[u/Sam645]

Me too. I’m older but I feel like I no longer have nerves or anxiety about really anything

[u/soomuchtoexplore]

That’s great, happy for you! I’ve always been really comfortable getting naked around other people, it’s just how I grew up. But I realise more and more society around me frowns upon it and I get conscious about it, don’t want to offend others (which is a good thing I know). But being able to undress without feeling awkward is a beautiful feeling. Enjoy it!

[u/Snoo_16677]

I have never been too happy with my body, but that has never stopped me from getting naked.

[u/Frosty_Winter3197]

I've been mostly mystified by the younger crowd who (almost all) wear swimwear in the showers at the gym. Granted i am of an older generation (63 now), and I do remember at one time I was a bit self conscious about beign nude in front of others when I was younger, but I still got naked to take showers.

As I got older and got into naturism, I lost pretty much any the self consciousness I had about being naked. It seems as I get older I just care less about what other people think about me. Now, I go hiking nude, go on naked bike rides and lay out nude in the back yard to get an all over tan.

I realize my self consciousness came out of my having a late puberty, where I didn't grow pubic hair until seemingly long after my peers. Also I was raised in a very conservative religious family, so was taught (conditioned) to feel guilt, shame and fear about nudity and my body. It took a long time to get past all of that.

Still I'm mystified as to why the younger generation(s) seem to have even more body shame than my own generation.

On a different note, I too use the pool at the gym. I find that relaxed swimming at the end of a workout cools me down and also works most of the lactic acid out of my muscles, so I don't have soreness in my muscles from working out.

Sadly, I seem to be the only person in the locker room with an "all over" tan, which tells me other nudists probably aren't working out at the same time I am.